Siding Replacement & Repair in Wichita, KS

The pressed-wood siding problem

Lots of Wichita-area homes built from the late 1970s to the 1990s have pressed-wood siding, called hardboard. It has a common problem. The bottom edge of each board soaks up water. Then it swells, goes soft and comes apart in layers. It starts near the ground, under downspouts and behind bushes. If your thumbnail sinks into the bottom edge of a board, that board is done. Painting it is a waste of money.

What we check

We walk around the house, test for wet spots and press on the boards. Siding goes bad where water gets to it, so we look at:

• The bottom rows and corners, and anything close to the ground.
• Under downspouts and gutters.
• Below windows, where old caulk lets water in.
• Hail dents and splits. They often look small but aren't.
• Siding touching dirt or mulch. It stays wet and goes bad first.

You often don't need all new siding

Many companies will try to sell you new siding for the whole house. Most of the time you don't need it. The damage is usually on one or two sides, near the ground. We replace just the bad boards and match the style. Then we paint the whole house so it all looks the same. It costs far less and looks the same from the street. If we can't match your siding, we'll tell you up front.